Wednesday, 6 January 2016

Backwaters of Alleppey

A visit to Kerala can never be
complete without visiting its backwaters.

We had already asked Jose to
arrange for a Shikara Ride on the backwaters in the morning for four hours.

Alleppey Backwaters

We had decided to go for
Shikara ride and not for the houseboat (Kettuvallam) as a houseboat is very
expensive compared to a shikara ride. Plus unlike a houseboat which has to be
rented for either 12 or 22 hours, you have an option of renting a shikara for just
2 hours.

View from the Room Balcony

A 22 hours houseboat ride will cost you around Rs 25,000 (or higher) depending
on the facilities it has. On the other hand we took a shikara ride at Rs 350
per hour. So for us, a four hour shikara ride on the backwaters was worth every
penny of the Rs 1,400 we shelled out. :)

Houseboat on Alleppey Backwaters

Shikara Ride on Alleppey Backwaters

The shikara is a small boat
with its roof covered. All the other sides of the boat are open and there are
luxurious reclining chairs, cushions, pillows etc. The Shikara takes you
leisurely through the backwaters and again back to the boarding point.

Colourful Buildings near Backwaters

Once the Shikara starts, it
slowly moves through the backwaters channels. The surrounding is lush green and
lined with numerous coconut trees.
Houses are made on the banks of the backwaters and you can witness
people going through their daily work. You see women washing clothes, people
taking a dip in the back waters, fisherman on boats trying to sell their wares…

People at work on backwaters

People at work - That's me cyling next to Backwaters :)

Since the boat goes through
waterways, the air is cool and the breeze is relaxing.

Backwaters have always been there
in Alleppey; families have settled on its banks and have used the water for
every purpose – be it washing clothes, washing utensils, brushing teeth or
taking a bath. Every family has its own small boat, there are many big ferry
boats which serve the purpose of public transport. There are huge flat platform
boats which are used to transport trucks from one end to another end of the
backwaters and houseboats ferry tourists on the calm waters.

In Alleppey, we did not have
much to cover. We were here for back waters and Kerala massage. Since we were
heading to Lakshadweep, we were not very keen on Alleppey Beaches. So after our
beautiful stint with the backwaters and two massages in two days, we had half a
day to chillax.

Keraleeyam Massage Center

We took an auto to Mullackal Road where we
had our lunch at Kream Korner Art Cafe. After a fulfilling lunch we decided to stroll the market
and do some shopping. The first thing we shopped for was “Lungi” ;) Post that
Preeti and I bought some beautiful and very economically priced sarees. I don’t
wear sarees but I could not resist the beautiful sarees. We also went to a
beautiful temple which is located in the main market. There are few shops where
you can buy souvenirs.

Temple at Alleppey

After our shopping we headed to
Indian Coffee House to sip coffee. We decided to get few masala dosas packed
for our dinner.

Water Transportation - Interesting Sight

It had started drizzling by now
and had become dark. We again took an auto rickshaw (some language problem
here) and headed to our resort. We had bought a torch which came in handy to
reach our resort.

It's Raining !!!

Life in Alleppey is quiet and
peaceful. You can stare for hours – swaying coconut
trees, blue sky, emerald backwaters, green paddy fields, ducks in the water
floating around, water birds and the beautiful water lilies. Alleppey is a perfect place to relax, unwind
and chill.

Dil Chahta Hai Moment

Points
to remember:

Alleppey is all about
backwaters. Do go for a ride on the backwaters depending on your budget.

If you can
splurge then rent a house boat (Kettuvallam) on the backwaters for 22 hours. It’s
an experience that you will cherish.

Mullackal
Road is the main shopping area in Alleppey. If you are not doing shopping in
Kochi then Mullackal Road is the place to shop. You can buy famous kerela and
silk sarees and souvenirs from here.